ROBOT MONSTER
A film review by Shane R. Burridge
Copyright 1995 Shane R. Burridge
(1953) 62 min
With the films of Edward D. Wood Jr having undergone a posthumous lease of popularity, filmgoers are now more willing to invest time in other, similar "bad movies." A prime candidate for some attention is surely ROBOT MONSTER, a Phil Tucker-directed effort (I use the term perfunctorily) that always gets unintended laughs from audiences. Story shows us the attempts of Ro-Man, the monster of the title, to eradicate the last six humans remaining on Earth in order to prepare it for colonization by his fellow monsters, also from the planet Ro-Man (and notRo-Planet, as you might expect).
Don't expect logic from this scenario. Why the entire invasion fleet has to be put on hold because of the presence of a few humans is never explained, but you won't be concerning yourself with such trivial details once you get a look at the monster. Ro-Man is an inspired combination of (a) one gorilla suit, (b) a deep-sea diver's helmet, and (c) a portable television aerial. Seeing Ro-Man waddling through the rocky canyons of LA (where the film was shot in its entirety), swatting irritably at bushes that aren't even in his way, is a joy to behold. Poor Ro-Man's main purpose in the film seems to be to walk from one end of the canyons to the other, and it's only a matter of time before we stop thinking about the monster and start wondering what imprecations are being muttered by the actor trapped underneath the heavy, ungainly costume. That Ro-Man is not designed for running is obvious, given that his victims, in order to be attacked, have to walk right up to him or else stumble over while running away.
Film is a little slow to start (it's mainly Ro-Man being berated by the Great Leader, who for some reason, he can't talk to without shaking his fist--he must be the most nagged monster in movie history), but by the time Ro-Man has gotten designs on the heroine ("The one they call Al-ice"), it's a riot. ROBOT MONSTER doesn't have the pitfalls of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, with which I have twice seen it double-billed, but that's only because it's not as ambitious: there's no need for sets or a cast of more than half a dozen. In the long run, it looks like what the TV series LOST IN SPACE might have churned out if they were told they could make a feature film. Biggest irony of the movie is that by the end of it you realize that the whole story has been viewed through a child's perspective, and that consequently the banal--and surreal--nature of the story, simple dialogue (there's never a scientific term mentioned), and superficial characters make perfect sense. In that respect, it's almost a perfect crystallization of the logic of children's fantasies or nightmares. But unfortunately for the film makers, it's much easier to just laugh at. As I have only seen screenings with audiences, I wouldn't know how well the unintentional humor will translate to television. Unbelievably, this film was originally released in 3-D. But you'd never guess it: there is not one instance of this process being exploited in the movie. With the possible exceptions of Alice's tight top, and the lettering of the title.
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